Gimbal control method, gimbal and machine-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

A gimbal includes a follow-configuration button, a memory storing gimbal control instructions, and a processor configured to call the gimbal control instructions to detect whether the follow-configuration button is triggered and adjust a follow parameter of the gimbal for following a target object in response to the follow-configuration button being triggered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2018/071534, filed Jan. 5, 2018, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of control, and inparticular, to a gimbal control method, a gimbal and a machine-readablestorage medium.

BACKGROUND

With the development of shooting technology, handheld gimbals arebecoming more and more popular with users. In the process of followingthe target object, the handheld gimbal sometimes needs to respondquickly to the motion of the handle to make the handheld gimbal closelyfollow the movement of the target object, and sometimes it needs torespond slowly to the motion of the handle to make pictures shot withhandheld gimbal smooth.

At present, the user connects the handheld gimbal from a mobile phoneAPP via Bluetooth, and then sets the follow parameters such as the speedand acceleration of the handheld gimbal. In this way, the followparameters of the handheld gimbal for following the target object can beadjusted.

However, this requires the user to pull out the mobile phone to connectwith the handheld gimbal, which is a waste of time. Moreover, once thefollow parameters such as the speed and acceleration of the handheldgimbal are set, it means that the speed and acceleration of the handheldgimbal are fixed. In the future, if the follow parameters such as thespeed and acceleration of the handheld gimbal are required to change, areset is needed, which has poor flexibility.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosure, there is provided a gimbal includinga follow-configuration button, a memory storing gimbal controlinstructions, and a processor configured to call the gimbal controlinstructions to detect whether the follow-configuration button istriggered and adjust a follow parameter of the gimbal for following atarget object in response to the follow-configuration button beingtriggered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the presentdisclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of thedisclosed embodiments are briefly described below. The drawingsdescribed below are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure.Other drawings may be derived from such drawings by a person withordinary skill in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a three-axis gimbal (labeled as abracket assembly 100);

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a handle according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a gimbal according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The technical solutions in the example embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be described clearly with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The described embodiments are only some of the embodiments ofthe present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on theembodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained bya person of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shallfall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Before a gimbal control method provided by the present disclosure isdescribed, the gimbal involved in the present disclosure will bedescribed first.

The gimbal is used to carry a camera. In the embodiments of thedisclosure, the gimbal can be a two-axis gimbal or a three-axis gimbal.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a bracket assembly of a three-axisgimbal (labeled as bracket assembly 100). As shown in FIG. 1, thebracket assembly 100 mainly includes a pitch axis motor 101, a roll axismotor 102, a yaw axis motor 103, a gimbal base 104, a yaw axis arm 105,a photographing device fixation mechanism 106 (including an inertialmeasurement unit (IMU) inside), a pitch axis arm 107, and a roll axisarm 108. The photographing device fixation mechanism 106 is used toconnect the photographing device 109 to the bracket assembly 100. Theroll axis arm 108 is used to support the pitch axis arm 107 and thepitch axis motor 101, the yaw axis arm 105 is used to support the yawaxis motor 103 and the roll axis motor 102, and the pitch axis arm 107is used to support the photographing device 109. An angle sensor and acircuit board can be installed inside the pitch axis motor 101, the rollaxis motor 102, and the yaw axis motor 103 (these three motors can bereferred to as driving motors). The angle sensor can be electricallyconnected to the circuit board. When the driving motor rotates, theangle sensor installed at the driving motor can measure the rotationangle of the driving motor. The angle sensor can be one or multiple of apotentiometer, a Hall sensor, or an encoder. The bracket assembly 100may be connected to the handle or a mobile platform (not shown inFIG. 1) through the gimbal base 104.

The gimbal mainly uses an inertial measurement unit as a feedbackelement and uses the driving motors of the gimbal's axes (yaw axis,pitch axis, roll axis) as output elements to form a closed loop controlsystem to control the attitude of the gimbal. In the process ofcontrolling the attitude of the gimbal, the control parameter is theattitude of the gimbal. Given a target attitude, the current attitude ofthe gimbal is corrected to the target attitude through feedback control,so that the gimbal approaches to the target attitude from the currentattitude, and finally reaches the target attitude.

Based on the above description, the embodiments of the disclosure aredescribed below.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anembodiment of the disclosure. This process is applied to a handheldgimbal, which includes a handle and a bracket assembly for adjusting theattitude of the gimbal. The bracket assembly includes at least onerotation axis.

As shown in FIG. 2, at 201, whether a follow-configuration buttonprovided at the gimbal is triggered is detected.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, compared with the existing gimbal,the improvements of setting the follow-configuration button at thegimbal is made. The follow-configuration button is a physical button. Inother embodiments, the follow-configuration button can be a virtualbutton displayed on a screen provided at the gimbal.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the gimbal is a handheld gimbaland includes a handle. The number of the physical buttons is at leastone and the physical buttons are disposed at the handle. The specificposition of the follow-configuration button disposed at the handle isnot limited in the embodiments of the disclosure. In one example, thefollow-configuration button can be set at a position at the handle thatis convenient for a user to operate. FIG. 3 illustrates an example ofsetting a follow-configuration button at the handle.

At 202, when the trigger is detected, the follow parameters of thegimbal for following the target object are adjusted according to thetrigger.

According to 202, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the followparameters of the gimbal for following the target object are adjustedbased on whether the follow-configuration button provided at the gimbalis triggered, instead of through the mobile APP. The follow parametersof the gimbal for following the target object can be ensured to beadjusted flexibly in the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, at 401, whether afollow-configuration button provided at the gimbal is triggered isdetected.

The process of 401 is similar to the process of 201 and is not describedagain.

At 402, a follow coefficient corresponding to the follow-configurationbutton after receiving the trigger is determined.

In one embodiment, at 402, determining the follow coefficientcorresponding to the follow-configuration button after receiving thetrigger includes the following.

At a1, a first state of the follow-configuration button before receivingthe trigger is identified.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, at least one follow-configurationbutton can be disposed at the gimbal.

When a relatively small number of follow-configuration buttons aredisposed at the gimbal, taking one follow-configuration button as anexample, and if there are many different states such as three states ofhigh state, middle state, and low state, the same follow-configurationbutton will correspond to multiple different states. In this case, a2 isperformed.

At a2, it is determined that the follow-configuration buttonsequentially switches from the first state to a second state accordingto a specified state cycle order after receiving the trigger.

If the specified state cycle order is middle state->high state->lowstate, and at a1, the first state to which the follow-configurationbutton corresponds before receiving the trigger is identified as middlestate, then when the trigger is received, according to the specifiedstate cycle order as middle state->high state->low state, the state ofthe follow-configuration button will be switched from the currentlyindicated first state (taking the middle state as an example) to thesecond state (taking the high state as an example).

After the state of the follow-configuration button is sequentiallyswitched from the first state to the second state, a3 is performed.

At a3, a follow coefficient corresponding to the second state isdetermined as the follow coefficient corresponding to thefollow-configuration button after receiving the trigger.

In one example, the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, and the different states of thefollow-configuration buttons correspond to different followcoefficients. In this way, at a3, the follow coefficient correspondingto the second state after the switch is determined as the followcoefficient corresponding to the follow-configuration button afterreceiving the trigger, and then the follow coefficient corresponding tothe second state after switching can be used to adjust the followparameters of the gimbal for following the target object. Therefore, thefollow parameters of the gimbal for following the target object can beadjusted automatically. The details are described at 403 below.

In another example, the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, and the different states of thefollow-configuration buttons correspond to same follow coefficients. Inthis way, when the follow coefficient corresponding to the second stateafter switching is the same as the follow coefficient corresponding tothe first state before switching, in one embodiment, thefollow-configuration button may be again triggered until the followcoefficient corresponding to the state after switching is different fromthe follow coefficient corresponding to the state before switching. Thenthe follow coefficient corresponding to the state after switching can beused to adjust the follow parameters of the gimbal for following thetarget object. Therefore, the follow parameters of the gimbal forfollowing the target object can be adjusted automatically. The detailsare described at 403 below. In another example, when the followcoefficient corresponding to the second state after switching is thesame as the follow coefficient corresponding to the first state beforeswitching, the follow-configuration button may not be triggered again.Instead, the follow parameters before switching can be directly used tocontrol the gimbal to follow the target object.

At 403, the follow parameters of the gimbal for following the targetobject is adjusted according to the follow coefficient.

Finally, at 402 and 403, the adjustment of follow parameters of thegimbal for following the target object according to the trigger at 202is implemented.

According to 402 and 403, in the embodiments of the disclosure, thefollow parameters of the gimbal for following the target object areadjusted based on whether the follow-configuration button provided atthe gimbal is triggered, instead of through the mobile APP. The followparameters of the gimbal for following the target object can be ensuredto be adjusted flexibly in the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure. In some embodiments, a follow speed isused as the follow parameter for implementing the gimbal control.

At 501, whether a follow-configuration button provided at the gimbal istriggered is detected.

The process of 501 is similar to the process of 201 and is not describedagain.

At 502, a follow coefficient corresponding to the follow-configurationbutton after receiving the trigger is determined.

The process of 502 is similar to the process of 402 and is not describedagain.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow coefficients determinedat 502 include a follow speed coefficient.

In one embodiment, the follow speed coefficients include follow speedcoefficients corresponding to different rotation axes and the followspeed coefficients corresponding to different rotation axes are the sameor different. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow speedcoefficient can be pre-configured through an application program (APP).The pre-configured follow speed coefficient can be adaptively adjustedaccording to requirements and is not fixed.

In one embodiment, the follow coefficient may further include a followidentifier. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow identifiermay be pre-configured through an APP. The follow identifierscorresponding to different rotation axes can be set separately. Forexample, the follow identifier corresponding to the roll axis is thefirst identifier representing to follow, the follow identifiercorresponding to the yaw axis is the second identifier representing notto follow, and the follow identifier corresponding to the pitch axis isthe first identifier representing to follow. In this way, 503 mayfurther include determining the follow identifier corresponding to eachrotation axis and, when the follow identifier corresponding to arotation axis is the first identifier representing to follow, performingthe processes at 503 to 504 for the rotation axis. That is, theprocesses at 503 and 504 are performed for a rotation axis whosecorresponding follow identifier is the first identifier representing tofollow.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the states corresponding to thefollow-configuration buttons are different, and the follow identifiersof the follow coefficients corresponding to different states may also bedifferent. For example, if three different states are set for thefollow-configuration button, the three different states are low state,middle state, and high state. The follow coefficients corresponding tothe low state include the follow identifier corresponding to the pitchaxis that is the second identifier representing not to follow, and thefollow identifiers corresponding to the remaining two rotation axes(roll axis, yaw axis) that are the first identifier representing tofollow, which means that only the roll axis and yaw axis follow. Thefollow coefficients corresponding to the middle state include the followidentifier corresponding to the roll axis that is the second identifierrepresenting not to follow, and the follow identifier corresponding tothe remaining two rotation axes (roll axis, pitch axis) that are thefirst identifier representing to follow, which means that only the rollaxis and pitch axis follow. The follow coefficients corresponding to thehigh state include the follow identifiers corresponding to the pitchaxis, the roll axis, and the yaw axis that are the first identifierrepresenting to follow, which means that the pitch axis, the roll axis,and the yaw axis all follow. In specific implementations, the followidentifiers in the follow coefficients corresponding to different statesmay be specifically set according to actual needs and are not limited inthe embodiments of the disclosure.

In one special embodiment, the follow coefficients that can also be setfor a certain state, such as the low state described above, include thefollow identifiers corresponding to the pitch axis, roll axis, and yawaxis that are the second identifier representing not to follow. In thiscase, there is no need to follow. The follow mode is stopped, and a freemode is switched to.

As described above, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the gimbalincludes at least one rotation axis such as a pitch axis, a roll axis,and a yaw axis for adjusting the attitude of the gimbal. At 503, foreach rotation axis, a first difference value is obtained by calculatingthe difference between the handle attitude information and the gimbaltarget attitude information along the rotation axis.

In one embodiment, at 503, the handle attitude information along therotation axis includes a Euler angle of the handle along the rotationaxis.

As an example, the Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axisincludes the Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis obtainedby converting the attitude quaternion of the handle along the rotationaxis, which is obtained by rotating the attitude quaternion of theinertial measurement element (IMU) itself around the rotation axis ofthe gimbal.

In applications, a quaternion is a mathematical representation of anattitude. In general, a quaternion can be expressed as q=w+xi+yj+zk,where q=w+xi+yj+zk can be divided into a scalar w and a vector xi+yj+zk.For convenience, q is expressed as (S, V), where S represents the scalarw and V represents the vector xi+yj+zk. So that the quaternionmultiplication can be expressed as:q1*q2=(S1+V1)*(S2+V2)=S1*S2−V1*V2+V1XV2+S1*V2+S2*V1. A Euler angle isanother representation of an attitude. Quaternions and Euler angles canbe converted to each other through corresponding formulas. The followingis the formula for converting a quaternion to a Euler angle:

$\begin{bmatrix}\phi \\\theta \\\psi\end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix}{{atan}\; 2\left( {{2\left( {{wx} + {yz}} \right)},{1 - {2\left( {x^{2} + y^{2}} \right)}}} \right)} \\{\arcsin \left( {2\left( {{wy} - {zx}} \right)} \right)} \\{{atan}\; 2\left( {{2\left( {{wz} + {xy}} \right)},{1 - {2\left( {y^{2} + z^{2}} \right)}}} \right)}\end{bmatrix}$

Based on the above formula, in the embodiments of the disclosure, it iseasy to convert the attitude quaternion of the handle along the rotationaxis into the Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis.

In another embodiment, at 503, the gimbal target attitude informationalong the rotation axis includes determining the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis according to the follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object along the rotation axis afterreceiving the trigger.

In one embodiment, determining the gimbal target attitude informationalong the rotation axis according to the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis when receiving thetrigger may include obtaining the gimbal target attitude informationalong the rotation axis by integrating the follow speed of the gimbalfor following the target object along the rotation axis after receivingthe trigger. The obtained gimbal target attitude information is also anangle.

Through 503, it is realized that for each rotation axis, a firstdifference value is obtained by calculating the difference between thehandle attitude information along the rotation axis and the gimbaltarget attitude information.

At 504, the follow speed of the gimbal for following the target objectalong the rotation axis is calculated according to the first differencevalue and the follow speed coefficient corresponding to the rotationaxis.

In one embodiment, at 504, calculating the follow speed of the gimbalfor following the target object along the rotation axis according to thefirst difference value and the follow speed coefficient corresponding tothe rotation axis may be implemented by the following formula:

follow_speed=(atti_handler−atti_target)*speed_coef/freq, where,follow_speed represents the follow speed along the rotation axis,handler_atti represents the handle attitude information along therotation axis; atti_target represents the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis; atti_handler−atti_target is thefirst difference value, speed_coef represents the follow speedcoefficient corresponding to the rotation axis, and freq is apre-configured frequency, specifically the frequency of IMU sampling.

Through 504, the follow speed of the gimbal for following the targetobject along the rotation axis can be calculated. In this way, thegimbal can be controlled to follow the target object along the rotationaxis according to the calculated follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis. The details aredescribed at 505.

At 505, the gimbal is controlled to follow the target object along therotation axis according to the follow speed.

In one embodiment, the follow speed of the gimbal for following thetarget object along the rotation axis is essentially the speed at whicha photographing device at the gimbal, such as the photographing device109 shown in FIG. 1, responds to a change in attitude of the rotationaxis. At 505, if the absolute value of the follow speed calculated at504 is greater than 0, it means that the photographing device at thegimbal, such as the photographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, respondsto the change in attitude of the rotation axis according to thecalculated follow speed to better follow the target object. When thefollow speed calculated at 504 is equal to 0, it means that the attitudeof the rotation axis is close to the target attitude at this time, andthe responding speed of the photographing device at the gimbal, such asthe photographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, to the change in attitudeof the rotation axis is close to 0. That is, the photographing device atthe gimbal, such as the photographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, iscontrolled to stop following the change in attitude of the rotationaxis.

Finally, processes from 502 to 505 are used to implement the adjustmentof the follow parameters of the gimbal for following the target objectaccording to the trigger at 202.

From 502 to 505 in the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow speedof the gimbal for following the target object is adjusted based onwhether the follow-configuration button provided at the gimbal istriggered, instead of through the mobile APP. The follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object can be ensured to be adjustedflexibly in the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a gimbal control method according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, at 601, whether afollow-configuration button provided at the gimbal is triggered isdetected.

The process of 601 is similar to the process of 201 and is not describedagain.

At 602, a follow coefficient corresponding to the follow-configurationbutton after receiving the trigger is determined.

The process of 602 is similar to the process of 402 and is not describedagain.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow coefficient determinedat 602 includes a follow speed coefficient and a follow dead band. Thefollow speed coefficient is as described in embodiment 3. In theembodiments of the disclosure, the follow dead band is pre-configuredthrough the APP.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow-configuration buttonmay be set in advance with follow speed coefficients and follow deadbands corresponding to different states. In one example, the followspeed coefficients and follow dead bands can be set through the APP forthe follow-configuration button. In another example, a software programmay be written into the follow-configuration button in advance, so as toset a plurality of follow speed coefficients and follow dead bandscorresponding to different states for the follow-configuration button.

In some embodiments, the follow-configuration button is set with thefollow speed coefficients and follow dead bands corresponding to threedifferent states, and the three different states are the low state,middle state, and high state, where the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the low state is speed_coef10 and the follow dead bandcorresponding to the low state is deadband201; the follow speedcoefficient corresponding to the middle state is speed_coef102 and thefollow dead band corresponding to the low state is deadband202; thefollow speed coefficient corresponding to the high state isspeed_coef103 and the follow dead band corresponding to the low state isdeadband203. If initially the state corresponding to thefollow-configuration button is the middle state. Thus, initially, thefollow coefficients determined at 602 are the follow speed coefficientspeed_coef102 and the follow dead band deadband202 corresponding to themiddle state. Then, when the follow-configuration button is triggeredand if the designated state cycle order is middle state->high state->lowstate, the state corresponding to the follow-configuration button willbe switched from the original middle state to the high state. At thistime, the follow coefficients determined at 602 are the follow speedcoefficient speed_coef103 and follow dead band deadban203 correspondingto the high state. If the follow-configuration button is triggeredagain, the state corresponding to the follow-configuration button willbe switched from the original high state to the low state. At this time,the follow coefficients determined at 602 are the follow speedcoefficient speed_coef101 and following dead band deadband201corresponding to the low state. Then, if the follow-configuration buttonis triggered again, the state corresponding to the follow-configurationbutton will be switched from the original low state to the middle state.At this time, the follow coefficients determined at 602 are the followspeed coefficient speed_coef102 and follow dead band deadband202corresponding to the middle state, and so on.

In one embodiment, the follow coefficients may further include a followidentifier. The follow identifiers corresponding to different rotationaxes may be set separately. For example, the follow identifiercorresponding to the roll axis is the first identifier representing tofollow, the follow identifier corresponding to the yaw axis is thesecond identifier representing not to follow, and the follow identifiercorresponding to the pitch axis is the first identifier representing tofollow. In this way, 602 may further include determining the followidentifier corresponding to each rotation axis and performing theprocesses from 603 to 607 for the rotation axis when the followidentifier corresponding to the rotation axis is the first identifierrepresenting to follow. That is, the processes from 603 to 607 areperformed for a rotation axis whose corresponding follow identifier isthe first identifier representing to follow.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the states corresponding to thefollow-configuration buttons are different, and the follow identifiersof the follow coefficients corresponding to different states may also bedifferent. For example, if three different states are set for thefollow-configuration button, the three different states are low state,middle state, and high state. The follow coefficients corresponding tothe low state include the follow identifier corresponding to the pitchaxis that is the second identifier representing not to follow, and thefollow identifiers corresponding to the remaining two rotation axes(roll axis, yaw axis) that are the first identifier representing tofollow, which means that only the roll axis and yaw axis follow. Thefollow coefficients corresponding to the middle state include the followidentifier corresponding to the roll axis that is the second identifierrepresenting not to follow, and the follow identifiers corresponding tothe remaining two rotation axes (roll axis, pitch axis) that are thefirst identifier representing to follow, which means that only the rollaxis and pitch axis follow. The follow coefficients corresponding to thehigh state include the follow identifiers corresponding to the pitchaxis, the roll axis, and the yaw axis that are the first identifiersrepresenting to follow, which means that the pitch axis, the roll axis,and the yaw axis all follow. In specific implementations, the followidentifiers in the follow coefficients corresponding to different statesmay be specifically set according to actual requirements and are notlimited in the embodiments of the disclosure.

In one embodiment, the follow speed coefficients include follow speedcoefficients corresponding to different rotation axes and the followspeed coefficients corresponding to different rotation axes are the sameor different. In the embodiments of this disclosure, the follow speedcoefficient can be pre-configured. The pre-configured follow speedcoefficient can be adaptively adjusted according to requirements and isnot fixed.

In one embodiment, the follow dead bands include the follow dead bandscorresponding to different rotation axes, where the follow dead bandscorresponding to different rotation axes are the same or different. Inthe embodiments of the disclosure, the follow dead band may bepre-configured. The pre-configured follow dead band can be adaptivelyadjusted according to requirements and is not fixed.

At 603, for each rotation axis, a first difference value is obtained bycalculating the difference between the handle attitude information andthe gimbal target attitude information along the rotation axis.

The process of 603 is similar to the process of 503 and is not describedagain.

At 604, the absolute value of the first difference value is comparedwith the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis. If theabsolute value of the first difference value is greater than the followdead band corresponding to the rotation axis, 605 is performed. If theabsolute value of the first difference value is not greater than thefollow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, 606 is performed.

At 605, a second difference value is obtained by calculating thedifference between the absolute value of the first difference value andthe follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, and a gimbalfollow speed for following the target object along the rotation axis iscalculated using the second difference value and the follow speedcoefficient corresponding to the rotation axis. After that, 607 isperformed.

605 is performed on the premise that the absolute value of the firstdifference value is greater than the follow dead band corresponding tothe rotation axis.

In one embodiment, 605 may be implemented with the following formula:

atti_err=atti_handler−atti_target, where handler_atti represents handleattitude information along the rotation axis, atti_target represents thegimbal target attitude information along the rotation axis, and atti_erris the first difference value.

atti_use=|atti_err−|deadband∥, where deadband is the follow dead band,and atti_use is the second difference value.

follow_speed=atti_use*speed_coef/freq, where follow_speed represents thefollow speed along the rotation axis, speed_coef represents the followspeed coefficient corresponding to the rotation axis, and freq is apre-configured frequency, specifically the frequency of the IMUsampling.

The above formulas are used to calculate the gimbal follow speed forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis using the seconddifference value and the follow speed coefficient corresponding to therotation axis.

At 606, the gimbal follow speed for following the target object alongthe rotation axis is determined as zero and then 607 is performed.

606 is performed on the premise that the absolute value of the firstdifference value is not greater than the follow dead band correspondingto the rotation axis. When the absolute value of the first differencevalue is not greater than the follow dead band corresponding to therotation axis, it means that the absolute value of the first differencevalue is smaller than the follow dead band corresponding to the rotationaxis, or is equal to the follow dead band corresponding to the rotationaxis. When the absolute value of the first difference value is smallerthan the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, or whenthe absolute value of the first difference value is equal to the followdead band corresponding to the rotation axis, it means that the attitudeof the rotation axis is close to the target attitude at this time, andthe speed of the photographic device on the gimbal, such as thephotographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, in response to the attitudechange of the rotational axis is close to 0. Therefore, a photographingdevice on the gimbal, such as the photographing device 109 shown in FIG.1, does not need to follow the attitude change of the rotation axis.

At 607, the gimbal is controlled to follow the target object along therotation axis according to the follow speed.

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis is essentially thespeed at which the photographing device at the gimbal, such as thephotographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, responds to a change inattitude of the rotation axis. In one example, if 607 is performed after605 as described above, at 607, the photographing device at the gimbal,such as the photographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, responds to thechange in attitude of the rotation axis according to the calculatedfollow speed to better follow the target object. In another example, if607 is performed after 606 as described above, at 607, the attitude ofthe rotation axis is close to the target attitude at this time, and theresponding speed of the photographing device at the gimbal, such as thephotographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, to the change in attitude ofthe rotation axis is close to 0. That is, the photographing device atthe gimbal, such as the photographing device 109 shown in FIG. 1, doesnot need to follow the change in attitude of the rotation axis.

Finally, processes from 602 to 607 are used to implement the adjustmentof the follow parameters of the gimbal for following the target objectaccording to the trigger at 202.

From 602 to 607, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the follow speedof the gimbal for following the target object is adjusted based onwhether the follow-configuration button provided at the gimbal istriggered, instead of through the mobile APP. The follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object can be ensured to be adjustedflexibly in the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a gimbal consistent with the presentdisclosure. The gimbal includes a memory, a processor, and afollow-configuration button. The memory is used to store controlinstructions of the gimbal. The processor calls the control instructionsand performs operations including detecting whether thefollow-configuration button is triggered and adjusting the followparameters of the gimbal for following the target object according tothe trigger when the trigger is detected.

In one example, the follow-configuration button is a physical button, orthe follow-configuration button can be a virtual button displayed on ascreen provided at the gimbal.

In one example, the gimbal is a handheld gimbal and includes a handle.The number of the physical buttons is at least one and the physicalbuttons are disposed at the handle.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the adjustment of the follow parameters of the gimbalfor following the target object according to the trigger, which includesdetermining that a corresponding follow coefficient after the trigger isreceived by the follow-configuration button, and adjusting the followparameters of the gimbal for following the target object according tothe follow coefficient.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the determination of the follow coefficientcorresponding to the follow-configuration button after receiving thetrigger, which includes identifying a first state corresponding to thefollow-configuration button before receiving the trigger, determiningthat the follow-configuration button is sequentially switched from thefirst state to a second state according to a specified state cycle orderafter receiving the trigger, and determining that the follow coefficientcorresponding to the second state is the follow coefficientcorresponding to the follow-configuration button after receiving thetrigger.

In one example, if the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, the corresponding follow coefficients aredifferent, or if the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, but the corresponding follow coefficients are thesame.

In one example, the follow coefficient includes a follow speedcoefficient. The follow speed coefficients include follow speedcoefficients corresponding to different rotation axes, and the followspeed coefficients corresponding to different rotation axes are the sameor different.

In one example, the gimbal further includes at least one rotation axisfor adjusting the attitude of the gimbal. In one example, the processorcalls the control instruction of the gimbal to perform the adjustment ofthe follow parameters of the gimbal for following the target objectaccording to the follow coefficients, which includes, for each rotationaxis, obtaining a first difference value by calculating a differencebetween the handle attitude information and the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis, calculating the follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object along the rotation axis accordingto the first difference value and the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the rotation axis, and controlling the gimbal to followthe target object along the rotation axis according to the follow speed.

In one example, the follow coefficient further includes a follow deadband. The follow dead band includes follow dead bands corresponding todifferent rotation axes, and the follow dead bands corresponding todifferent rotation axes are the same or different.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the calculation of the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis according to thecalculated first difference value and the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the rotation axis, which includes comparing theabsolute value of the first difference value with the follow dead bandcorresponding to the rotation axis. If the absolute value of the firstdifference value is greater than the follow dead band corresponding tothe rotation axis, a second difference value is obtained by calculatingthe difference between the absolute value of the first difference valueand the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, and agimbal follow speed for following the target object along the rotationaxis is calculated using the second difference value and the followspeed coefficient corresponding to the rotation axis.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the calculation of the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis according to thecalculated first difference value and the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the rotation axis, which includes comparing theabsolute value of the first difference value with the follow dead bandcorresponding to the rotation axis. If the absolute value of the firstdifference value is not greater than the follow dead band correspondingto the rotation axis, the gimbal follow speed for following the targetobject along the rotation axis is determined as zero.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction to controlthe gimbal to follow the target object along the rotation axis accordingto the follow speed, which includes controlling the gimbal to stopfollowing the target object along the rotation axis.

In one example, the handle attitude information along the rotation axisincludes a Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis.

The processor calls the control instruction of the gimbal to determinethe Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis, which includesobtaining the attitude quaternion of the handle along the rotation axisby rotating the attitude quaternion of the inertial measurement element(IMU) itself around the rotation axis of the gimbal and converting theattitude quaternion of the handle along the rotation axis into the Eulerangle of the handle along the rotation axis.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the determination of the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis, which includes determining thegimbal target attitude information along the rotation axis according tothe follow speed of the gimbal for following the target object along therotation axis when receiving the trigger.

In one example, the processor calls the control instruction of thegimbal to perform the determination of the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis according to the follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object along the rotation axis afterreceiving the trigger, which includes obtaining the gimbal targetattitude information along the rotation axis by integrating the followspeed of the gimbal for following the target object along the rotationaxis after receiving the trigger.

In one example, the follow speed coefficient can be pre-configuredthrough an application program (APP). The pre-configured follow speedcoefficient can be adaptively adjusted according to requirements.

In one example, the follow dead band can be pre-configured through anapplication program (APP). The pre-configured follow dead band can beadaptively adjusted according to requirements.

The present disclosure also provides a machine-readable storage medium.In this disclosure, the machine-readable storage medium includes a Udisk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random accessmemory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and etc., which canstore program codes.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of computerinstructions are stored on the machine-readable storage medium. When thecomputer instructions are executed, the processing of the foregoingembodiments 1 to 4 is performed, which specifically includes detectingwhether the follow-configuration button provided at the gimbal istriggered and adjusting the follow parameters of the gimbal forfollowing the target object according to the trigger when the trigger isdetected.

In one example, the follow-configuration button is a physical button, orthe follow-configuration button can be a virtual button.

In one example, the number of the follow-configuration button is atleast one.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to adjust thefollow parameters of the gimbal for following the target objectaccording to the trigger, which includes determining that acorresponding follow coefficient after the trigger is received by thefollow-configuration button, and adjusting the follow parameters of thegimbal for following the target object according to the followcoefficient.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to determine thefollow coefficient corresponding to the follow-configuration buttonafter receiving the trigger, which includes identifying a first statecorresponding to the follow-configuration button before receiving thetrigger, determining that the follow-configuration button issequentially switched from the first state to a second state accordingto a specified state cycle order after receiving the trigger, anddetermining that the follow coefficient corresponding to the secondstate is the follow coefficient corresponding to thefollow-configuration button after receiving the trigger.

In one example, if the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, the corresponding follow coefficients aredifferent, or if the states corresponding to the follow-configurationbuttons are different, but the corresponding follow coefficients are thesame.

In one example, the follow coefficient includes a follow speedcoefficient.

In one example, the follow speed coefficients include follow speedcoefficients corresponding to different rotation axes, and the followspeed coefficients corresponding to different rotation axes are the sameor different.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to adjust thefollow parameters of the gimbal for following the target objectaccording to the follow coefficients, which includes for each rotationaxis, obtaining a first difference value by calculating the differencebetween the handle attitude information and the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis, calculating the follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object along the rotation axis accordingto the first difference value and the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the rotation axis, and controlling the gimbal to followthe target object along the rotation axis according to the follow speed.

In one example, the follow coefficient further includes a follow deadband. The follow dead band includes follow dead bands corresponding todifferent rotation axes, and the follow dead bands corresponding todifferent rotation axes are the same or different.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to perform thecalculation of the follow speed of the gimbal for following the targetobject along the rotation axis according to the first difference valueand the follow speed coefficient corresponding to the rotation axis,which includes comparing the absolute value of the first differencevalue with the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis. Ifthe absolute value of the first difference value is greater than thefollow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, a second differencevalue is obtained by calculating the difference between the absolutevalue of the first difference value and the follow dead bandcorresponding to the rotation axis, and a gimbal follow speed forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis is calculated usingthe second difference value and the follow speed coefficientcorresponding to the rotation axis.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to perform thecalculation of the follow speed of the gimbal for following the targetobject along the rotation axis according to the calculated firstdifference value and the follow speed coefficient corresponding to therotation axis, which includes comparing the absolute value of the firstdifference value with the follow dead band corresponding to the rotationaxis. If the absolute value of the first difference value is not greaterthan the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis, the gimbalfollow speed for following the target object along the rotation axis isdetermined as zero.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to control thegimbal to follow the target object along the rotation axis according tothe follow speed, which includes controlling the gimbal to stopfollowing the target object along the rotation axis.

In one example, the handle attitude information along the rotation axisincludes a Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis.

In one example, the Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axisincludes the Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis obtainedby converting the attitude quaternion of the handle along the rotationaxis, which is obtained by rotating the attitude quaternion of theinertial measurement element (IMU) itself around the rotation axis ofthe gimbal.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to perform thedetermination of the gimbal target attitude information along therotation axis, which includes determining the gimbal target attitudeinformation along the rotation axis according to the follow speed of thegimbal for following the target object along the rotation axis whenreceiving the trigger.

In one example, the computer instruction is executed to perform thedetermination of the gimbal target attitude information along therotation axis according to the follow speed of the gimbal for followingthe target object along the rotation axis after receiving the trigger,which includes obtaining the gimbal target attitude information alongthe rotation axis by integrating the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis after receiving thetrigger.

In one example, the follow speed coefficient can be pre-configured andthe pre-configured follow speed coefficient can be adaptively adjustedaccording to requirements.

In one example, the follow dead band can be pre-configured and thepre-configured follow dead band can be adaptively adjusted according torequirements.

Since the device embodiment basically corresponds to the methodembodiment, the relevant part may refer to the description of the methodembodiment. The device embodiments described above are only schematic.The units described as separate components may or may not be physicallyseparated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physicalunits, that is, they may be located at one place, or may be distributedacross multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may beselected according to actual needs to achieve the objective of theembodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand andimplement the embodiments without creative efforts.

In the present disclosure, relational terms such as first and second areonly used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity oroperation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is anysuch actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.The term “comprising,” “including” or any other variation thereof isnon-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or devicethat include a series of elements include not only those elements butalso other elements that are not explicitly listed, or elements that areinherent to such a process, method, article, or device. Without morerestrictions, the elements defined by the sentence “including a . . . ”do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process,method, article, or equipment that includes the elements.

The methods and devices provided by the present disclosure are describedin detail above. Specific examples are used to explain the principlesand implementation of the present disclosure. The descriptions of theabove embodiments are only for facilitating the understanding of thepresent disclosure; meanwhile, for a person of ordinary skill in theart, according to the present disclosure, there will be changes in thespecific implementation and application. In summary, the content of thisspecification is not a limitation to this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gimbal comprising: a follow-configurationbutton; a memory storing gimbal control instructions; and a processorconfigured to call the gimbal control instructions to: detect whetherthe follow-configuration button is triggered; and adjust a followparameter of the gimbal for following a target object in response to thefollow-configuration button being triggered.
 2. The gimbal of claim 1,wherein: the follow-configuration button includes a physical button; orthe follow-configuration button includes a virtual button displayed on ascreen of the gimbal.
 3. The gimbal of claim 1, wherein: the gimbal is ahandheld gimbal including a handle; the follow-configuration buttonincludes a physical buttons disposed at the handle.
 4. The gimbal ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbalcontrol instructions to: determine a follow coefficient corresponding tothe follow-configuration button after being triggered; and adjust thefollow parameter of the gimbal for following the target object accordingto the follow coefficient.
 5. The gimbal of claim 4, wherein theprocessor is further configured to call the gimbal control instructionsto: identify a first state corresponding to the follow-configurationbutton before being triggered; determine that the follow-configurationbutton is sequentially switched from the first state to a second stateaccording to a specified state cycle order after being triggered; anddetermine a follow coefficient corresponding to the second state as thefollow coefficient corresponding to the follow-configuration buttonafter being triggered.
 6. The gimbal of claim 5, wherein the first stateand the second state are two of a plurality of different statescorresponding to the follow-configuration buttons, and the plurality ofstates correspond to different follow coefficients or a same followcoefficient.
 7. The gimbal of claim 5, wherein the follow coefficientincludes a follow speed coefficient.
 8. The gimbal of claim 7, whereinthe follow speed coefficient includes follow speed coefficientscorresponding to different rotation axes, and the follow speedcoefficients corresponding to different rotation axes are the same ordifferent.
 9. The gimbal of claim 7, wherein: the gimbal has a rotationaxis for adjusting a gimbal attitude; and the processor is furtherconfigured to call the gimbal control instruction to: obtain adifference value by calculating a difference between handle attitudeinformation and gimbal target attitude information along the rotationaxis; calculate a follow speed of the gimbal for following the targetobject along the rotation axis according to the difference value and thefollow speed coefficient corresponding to the rotation axis; and controlthe gimbal to follow the target object along the rotation axis accordingto the follow speed.
 10. The gimbal of claim 9, wherein the followcoefficient further includes a follow dead band.
 11. The gimbal of claim10, wherein the follow dead band includes follow dead bandscorresponding to different rotation axes, and the follow dead bandscorresponding to different rotation axes are the same or different. 12.The gimbal of claim 10, wherein: the difference value is a firstdifference value; and the processor is further configured to call thegimbal control instructions to: compare an absolute value of the firstdifference value with the follow dead band corresponding to the rotationaxis; and in response to the absolute value of the first differencevalue being greater than the follow dead band corresponding to therotation axis: calculate a difference between the absolute value of thefirst difference value and the follow dead band corresponding to therotation axis to obtain a second difference value; and calculate thefollow speed of the gimbal for following the target object along therotation axis using the second difference value and the follow speedcoefficient corresponding to the rotation axis.
 13. The gimbal of claim10, wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbalcontrol instructions to: compare an absolute value of the differencevalue with the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis; andin response to the absolute value of the difference value being notgreater than the follow dead band corresponding to the rotation axis,determine that the follow speed of the gimbal for following the targetobject along the rotation axis is zero.
 14. The gimbal of claim 13,wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbal controlinstructions to control a photographing device at the gimbal to stopfollowing an attitude change along the rotation axis.
 15. The gimbal ofclaim 10, wherein the follow dead band is pre-configured through anapplication program and the pre-configured follow dead band isadaptively adjusted according to needs.
 16. The gimbal of claim 9,wherein the handle attitude information along the rotation axis includesa Euler angle of the handle along the rotation axis.
 17. The gimbal ofclaim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbalcontrol instructions: obtain an attitude quaternion of the handle alongthe rotation axis by rotating an attitude quaternion of an inertialmeasurement element (IMU) around the rotation axis; and convert theattitude quaternion of the handle along the rotation axis into the Eulerangle of the handle along the rotation axis.
 18. The gimbal of claim 9,wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbal controlinstructions to determine the gimbal target attitude information alongthe rotation axis according to the follow speed of the gimbal forfollowing the target object along the rotation axis after thefollow-configuration button is triggered.
 19. The gimbal of claim 18,wherein the processor is further configured to call the gimbal controlinstructions to integrate the follow speed of the gimbal for followingthe target object along the rotation axis after the follow-configurationbutton is triggered to obtain the gimbal target attitude informationalong the rotation axis.
 20. The gimbal of claim 7, wherein the followspeed coefficient is pre-configured through an application program andthe pre-configured follow speed coefficient is adaptively adjustedaccording to needs.